Archives for March 2015

Indian Ice cream: Kulfi

March 9, 2015 by Cherie Scott

Thank you Ted Axelrod for these stunning pictures!

Indian Ice cream: Cardamom-Almond-Pistachio- Saffron-Kulfi

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

1 hour 30 mins

Total time

1 hour 35 mins

Kulfi: Indian Ice cream

Author: Cherie Scott

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

Saffron-Pistachio-Cardamom Indian Ice cream
8 cups of Whole Milk - Half gallon
1 large pinch of saffron
3 tablespoons of crushed salted pistachios ( the salt adds a nice balance to the sweetness in the ice cream )
2 heaping tablespoons of Almond Meal -this adds another level of nutty flavor and acts as a thickening agent
5 tablespoons of sugar
8 Cardamom pods - slighted crushed

Instructions

Place the 8 cups of milk in a heavy based pot
Add the cardamom pods, saffron and sugar to the milk
Bring to a slight boil, turn down heat and simmer.
Keep scraping down the sides of the pot and stirring the cream that assembles on top of the milk back into the milk.
You must keep stirring and never allow it to come to burn at the bottom or sides of the pot.
After you have reduced the milk to a1/3rd of its original amount = approx 2.5 cups (discard the cardamom pods entirely.)
Stir in the almond meal with the crushed pistachios.
Allow to simmer for another 5 minutes and thicken.
Turn off the heat. Take the pot off the stove top; pour the mixture into a glass bowl and allow it to cool down completely.
Based on your accessibility to an ice-cream machine and time on your hands, you have two options now:
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Every twenty minutes stir up the ice-cream with the fork and break up the ice crystals that will form inevitably. As soon as the mixture begins to freeze up, scoop and place it into moulds and freeze tightly. Before serving, place into a hot water bath and slip out of moulds onto a pretty plate and garnish with chopped pistachios and couple of saffron strands.
Or you can place the room-temperature mixture into an ice cream machine (I borrowed a friend’s Breville ice cream machine) and allow it to churn for an hour. It will stay cool in the machine for 3 hours after its done. After dinner, pull out some chilled martini glasses, and scoop the ice-cream into the glasses; garnish with a couple of saffron threads and crushed pistachios.

Notes

I started this recipe at 10pm. and didn’t realize that it would take an hour and half for the milk to reduce to ⅓ of the original amount. After I was done reducing the milk and took it off the stove and put it into the freezer at 11:30p.m. I decided to take a short nap that transitioned into a deep slumber until I got woken up by a phone call at 8 a.m.

I ran downstairs to my freezer and much to my dismay the entire mixture was frozen and full of ice crystals. I panicked and called a friend who told me to keep stirring it vigorously with fork. To my surprise I was able to bring it back to the consistency and room temperature it should have been before I put it into the freezer the night before. I then drove over to her house and borrowed her miraculous Breville Ice cream machine. I poured it into the machine and turned it on. Voila! I had Kulfi! There were a few ice crystals but minimal. it tasted delicious though!

Three Lessons learned:
Don’t take cat naps when making Kulfi.
Don’t start Kulfi ice-cream at 10p.m.
Buy an ice-cream machine. It’s not necessary but worth it. It saved my dessert.

Adapted from Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey, Barron’s Educational Series 2003

Mom’s Lamb Biryani

March 2, 2015 by Cherie Scott

This dish is a true labor of love and brings back a flood of memories. Mom slaved over it for days and fed close to 40 people at each of our family celebrations back in Mumbai. Biryanis date back to the 1600’s when Mughal emperors entertained and feasted on it.This signature dish cannot be thrown together in a rush. It demands love; patience; attention to detail and a bit of planning ahead. But when you take your first morsel of saffron-kissed rice and melt-in-your-mouth Indian-spiced lamb be prepared for a symphony of flavor to explode in your mouth. Open a bottle of your best wine: this lamb feast is fit for a king and calls for nothing less than a celebration!

Portland Press Herald’s (brilliant) Food Writer Meredith Goad captured the back story on this special family recipe in her new column: Signature Recipes. Meredith watched me make this dish from scratch and then we feasted on it together (just so she would know what the hype was all about!) I also would like to thank John Patriquin, PPH photographer who was so engaged during the demonstration and took stunning pictures. Peggy Grodinsky, PPH Food Editor for her diligence in making sure the recipe was clear and concise so readers could enjoy making it without sweatin’ it! Thank you to the design team for the gorgeous pagination on the article too! I got the last few copies at our local grocery store for posterity, the day it came out! Check out Meredith Goad’s Signature Recipe: Mom’s Lamb Biryani

MOM’S LAMB BIRYANI

Makes 8 to 10 hearty portions
PART 1: MARINATE THE LAMB
Ingredients:
2 cups thick Greek yogurt, beaten with a spoon
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons garam masala
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons garlic paste (available in tubes in the produce section of large grocery stores, or in Indian groceries)
2 tablespoons freshly ground ginger or ginger paste (available in tubes in the produce section of large grocery stores, or in Indian groceries)
2 teaspoons salt
Juice of 2 limes
4-5 pound leg of lamb cut into 2-inch pieces

Instructions:
Mix the yogurt, spices and lime juice together in a large glass bowl. Add the lamb pieces and coat with the marinade. Cover with plastic, refrigerate and let the meat marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
PART 2: MAKE THE GRAVY
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons ghee or salted butter
4 yellow onions, sliced lengthwise
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 6 pieces each
2 yellow onions, chopped ( yes, another 2 yellow onions)
4 large tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chopped cilantro

Instructions:
Remove the marinated lamb from the refrigerator and let it reach room temperature, about 2 hours.
Add 2 tablespoons of the ghee to a medium-sized skillet. When the ghee is warm, add the white onions and sauté for about 8 minutes on medium-high heat until they start turning brown; set aside. (You should have about 2 cups.)
Add 2 more tablespoons ghee to the now empty skillet and pan-sear the potatoes on one side on medium high heat about 5 minutes, until they are crispy brown. Turn the potatoes over, cover the pan and let the potatoes steam another 5 minutes; set aside.
In a 3-quart oven-proof pot or Dutch oven, sauté the yellow onions in the remaining 2 tablespoons ghee for 5 minutes on medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the marinated lamb and cook until it changes color, about 10 minutes. Add 3 cups hot water, the cilantro and the reserved lamb bone. Cover the pot and simmer on low on the stove top until the lamb is tender, approximately 11/2 hours. Resist the urge to peek!
After 11/2 hours, add the reserved pan-seared potatoes and 1 cup of the reserved caramelized onions to the pot to thicken the gravy.
Re-cover the pot and simmer for another 25 minutes.
PART 3: MAKE THE RICE
Ingredients:
3 cups basmati rice
3 tablespoons salt
4 (1-inch) cinnamon sticks
15 whole cloves
4 black or 10 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
4 Turkish bay leaves
Red 40, Yellow 5 or Yellow 6 food coloring, a few drops each
1/4 cup milk
Large pinch of saffron

Instructions:
While the lamb is simmering, soak the rice in 3 cups of water for 25 minutes. Run your fingers through the grains to help remove the starch; do this gently so the grains don’t break. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve.
Fill a large pot with 15 cups water and the salt. Add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin and bay leaves.
Bring the spiced water to a roiling boil. Gently add the basmati rice. Boil the rice until it is three-quarters of the way cooked. Keep an eye on it and check a couple of grains after 5 minutes to make sure it is parboiled and not overcooked. The grains of rice should feel a bit starchy or gritty in the middle, as if they could crack in your hand. The rice will finish cooking in the oven with the lamb.
Drain the rice, leaving in the whole spices. Pour the drained rice into the pot with the lamb. Add the food coloring.
Warm the milk, add the saffron and stir gently. Let steep for a couple of minutes at the most.
PART 4: ASSEMBLE THE BIRYANI
Garnish with:
2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
Handful of toasted cashews
Chopped cilantroChopped mint

Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 335 degrees F.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the remaining caramelized onions over the pot with the lamb and rice. Save the remaining caramelized onions for garnish.
Pour the warm milk mixture onto the lamb and rice in circles. Do not stir. Close the lid and bake the lamb for 35 minutes.
Arrange the lamb biryani on a large platter. Garnish with the last ½ cup of caramelized onions, the eggs, cashews and a sprinkle each of cilantro and mint.
To serve, dig a flat serving spoon into the rice, being sure to go to the bottom so you get meat, rice and potatoes in every portion.

THANK YOU to my dear friend Ted Axelrod ( Ted Axelrod Photography) for this gorgeous image.

Mumbai State of Mind

March 2, 2015 by Cherie Scott

Picture above: Chicken Tandoori Skewers

Life is gentle in Maine. Maine has slowed me down. I’ve gotten used to it. I hate to admit it but I have come to enjoy the legato tempo of Maine life. But there are days when my heart pines for the chaos and bustle of the sardine-packed city of Mumbai – my original hometown. It doesn’t take much to take me back home. An occasional sniff of basmati rice as it steams on my stove is all it takes. In one of my food fantasies I wish I were devouring at least a half dozen spicy Indian street foods: Piping hot samosas bursting with green peas and cumin-scented mashed potatoes; coriander dusted lamb-sheek kabobs dripping with cayenne-spiked lime juice on slightly charred flatbread or a crisp lentil Indian crepe Masala Dosas with at least three coconut chutneys for dunking. But then I realize that those days are gone. I can no longer just take a walk down the rickshaw-lined streets of Mumbai and scarf down street foods to my heart’s content. The beautiful state of Maine is now my hometown. But the East Indian-city slicker has not checked out of Mumbai. So here I go again cooking up yet another batch of Indian treats right in my Maine kitchen. The nutty aroma of Basmati rice fills the Maine spring air. It’s almost ready for a warm lentil stew to coat those perfect grains. I lean against my warm stove with a cup of steaming chestnut-colored chai laced with spicy ginger chunks ,cardamom, clove and Malabar peppercorns. Wake up Cherie……you have arrived at your destination…..Mumbai IS now in Maine!

Pictured below: Lamb Meatballs with Chutney

Pictured below: Sev Puri Chaat

Chick PeaFlour deep fried crackers with Turmeric-cumin infused Mashed potatoes, whole chick peas and spicy cilantro mint chutney with a dollop of ever- so slightly sweetened whole yogurt. Garnished with Chaat Masala and Spicy Sev. I used to enjoy this sweet-savory snack after school on the 2 mile walk home. I still love foods that crunch (ask my husband – it drives him nuts) layered with flavors of sweet, sour and spicy! Were these ever addictive and took me right back to my favorite street vendor on Hill Road, Bandra, Mumbai.

Thank you Ted Axelrod Photography for the beautiful photography.

Chai Crazy

March 2, 2015 by Cherie Scott

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of brewing a strong cup of chai the entire process is as therapeutic as drinking the exotic beverage!

My morning ritual begins with the hottest water in an oversized mug. (Bigger is always better.) I adore watching those black tea leaves get christened with the scalding water slowly staining my porcelain cup with its mahogany goodness. Embracing the mug in both hands, I take long deep breaths as the blend of crushed spices disperse among the black tea leaves and permeate one another. As the heat warms my hands and the steam hits my face I can almost picture a Mumbai chai-wallah (a street vendor who makes chai for a living) pouring the strong brew from one glass to another like a silting Himalayan waterfall. I get lost in the aromatic fog. The whiffs of chai give my sleepy face a cardamom facial while the chai cools down. On quiet mornings when I’m not hurrying out the door, making a cup of chai also brings back memories of my childhood in the city of Mumbai.

Although chai has gained tremendous popularity in the West there is some confusion as to what chai is and how to refer to this spicy beverage.

Chai is traditionally a hot beverage made with Assam or Nilgiri black tea leaves heavily infused with a variety of spices: cinnamon, cardamom, clove, star-anise, fennel, peppercorns, and ginger brewed in a blend of hot water and milk with added sweetener to one’s taste and preference. In Hindi, chai means “tea.” So if you ask for a cup of chai-tea, you are literally asking for a cup of tea-tea. You might get a confused look from your chai-wallah.

In the southern part of India, masala chai is ubiquitous. “Masala” in Hindi means spices. So if you ask for a masala chai expect a potent version of chai: black tea brewed and blended with a powdered version of the spices. Masala chai is primarily made with whole milk, no water, in an attempt to mellow and balance out the robust spicy flavors.

Recently, in a bout of nostalgia, on a frigid day in January, I made an entire crockpot of chai. I threw in a box of black tea bags into some hot water and left the heavy mulling ball bursting with cardamom pods, nutmeg, peppercorns, chunks of raw ginger, crushed cinnamon sticks and bits of clove. The ball sat there happily steeping in the dark brew for three days enhancing it with its Ayurvedic goodness. Just one good chug and it made my heart gallop like a Morgan Horse! Even I had to admit it needed a generous splash of cream.

Back in Mumbai, chai was an intrinsic part of our daily lives, no matter how hot it got! One of my fondest memories as a young girl was surprising my dad with a perfect cup of tea as he got home from work. Barely old enough to stand by a stove, I would open the stainless steel can filled with Nilgiri tea leaves and dig right in to get an oversized heap. Gently, I’d add in the raw milk that was hand delivered promptly at 5a.m. Occasionally, a little bit of heavy cream would slide in…ah, creamy perfection! I knew dad loved that extra treat. I watched impatiently as it came to a boil. I would then throw in the tiniest stick of cinnamon, a couple of cardamom pods, cloves, peppercorns, and if I felt adventurous a big knob of ginger.

I could always time my father and knew exactly what time he would walk in the door with his newspaper in hand. He was punctual to a fault and routine was his middle name. I didn’t need to ask him how his day went because with a cup of chai in his hand I knew life was good! His shoulders would relax as he took in his first whiff of his evening chai after a long day at work. I could sense the tension of his day melt away as he took his first slurp. It was always too hot to sip. Dad chose to slurp it instead.

I can’t even talk about chai without reminiscing about our evening family-tea time back in Mumbai. Marie and Parle-G biscuits were a staple to go along with our tea. If we were out of our stash, I was charged with 5 rupees in hand to walk to the convenience store at the end of our street and pick up biscuits to go along with our chai. Now, I can’t walk past the ethnic aisle at our local grocery store without picking up at least a couple of packs of those golden-wrapped Marie biscuits. I’ve gotten my daughter hooked on them, too. She won’t ask for them every day, but on days when she needs some special mommy time she knows to come up to me and ask for chai and biscuits. She even dunks the biscuits into her chai the way I did. We sit quietly at the kitchen table and share a pack. Sometimes she over dunks and a few chunks fall in and she scoops them out. She might not know how to make chai from scratch or realize how trendy it has become these days, but she does know that with mommy by her side, chai and her favorite biscuits in hand, life is good! And so the chai drinking family tradition continues.

All photos: Ted Axelrod Photography, of course!

Chai for 2

Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

7 mins

Author: Cherie Scott

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Chai for two
16 oz (2 cups) Whole Milk or water
6 *black tea bags or 12-13 grams of tea leaves.
4 Cloves
1 long stick of cinnamon
2 thick slices, knobs or grated ginger
2 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed
4 black peppercorns
4 teaspoons of raw sugar

Instructions

On a low flame, heat the milk or water until it’s almost to a boiling point, throw in the tea bags and all the spices and bring down to a stern simmer for 5 minutes.
Keep the flame low at all times until end. Slowly bring to a boil again, when the milk rises to the top, turn it off. Strain in a colander or pull out spice ball.
If you chose water as your base either drink it straight up with sugar, or add in a generous splash of Half ‘n Half or light cream at the end to cut the strong chai.
*Assam, Kenyan, Nilgiri, Ceylon black tea eaves provide the strongest black tea blend. Try to avoid a Darjeeling blend - totally different flavor, English Breakfast Twinning (too acidic) Earl Grey (too weak).
You can use Agave Nectar as a substitute. Agave is 1.5 x sweeter than sugar, so I use only 1 & a ½ teaspoons of Agave per 8 oz. of milk.

Notes

For Crock Pot Chai:

Multiply the recipe based on how much you want to make. I usually make a gallon or 16 cups.

Use water as the base, not milk.

You can be more generous with your spices and add an extra tea bag or two to make it a strong batch.

Cook on low for 4 hours. I pull out the tea bags and discard but keep the spices in the spice ball and let it steep at room temperature. At this time, if you’ve crushed the spices you can strain it.

I ladle out as much as I need and heat it when I am ready to drink it with a generous splash of light cream or half ‘n half and sugar based on taste.

Keep it in a large mason jar in the fridge or on your kitchen-counter in a Mason jar and use as much as you like. Chai’s Ayurvedic goodness permeates your kitchen!!! In the summer, it makes for great on-the-go-iced chai.

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